Dispenser for flat flexible items

ABSTRACT

Provided is a dispenser for dispensing flat flexible items such as individually wrapped condoms or tea bags, and sachets of liquid soap or soup powder. The dispenser has a dispensing slot and a finger slot located on the top surface of the dispenser. A ramp is located in the interior of the dispenser having a top edge coinciding with the top edge of the forward surface and having a second edge attached to the bottom planar surface.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to packaging and dispensers, and morespecifically to such packaging and dispensers for flat flexible items.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A folded and wrapped condom is a flat and flexible item. Dispensers forcondoms are used to store one or more condoms and to dispense thecondoms individually, as required. U.S. Pat. No. 5,713,488 to Farrugiadiscloses a condom dispenser having a container dimensioned to receive astack of folded and wrapped condoms. An opening is present on thesurface of the container to allow a user to obtain an individual condomfrom the container through the opening. The opening is shaped andpositioned so that obtaining a condom involves sliding the condom in theplane of the folded wrapped condom through the opening.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,255,874 to Elkner discloses a dispensing package forflat rectangular articles such as razor blades. The dispensing packagecomprises a rectangular box. A discharge slot is located in an end paneladjacent to the top panel. A sloping ramp extends from the end panelinto the tube. The top panel is provided with a finger slot to permitfrictional finger engagement with the uppermost article in a stack ofsuch articles inside the dispensing package to slide the uppermostarticle along the sloping ramp and out through the slot.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,346,108 to Wizelman discloses a dispensing packagehaving a layer of plastic material sealed onto a flat sheet. The plasticmaterial has a sloping wall and a slot aligned with the sloping wall.Articles to be dispensed are contained between the layer of plasticmaterial and the flat sheet. An article to be dispensed is cammedagainst the sloping wall by a finger of a user and dispensed through theslot.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a dispenser for dispensing flat flexibleitems such as individually wrapped condoms or tea bags, and sachets ofliquid soap or soup powder. The dispenser has an interior chamberdimensioned to receive one or more flat flexible items. A surface of thedispenser has an elongated dispensing slot and an elongated finger slotperpendicular to the dispensing slot. A ramp located in the interiorchamber is configured to deflect a leading edge of a flat and flexibleitem located in the interior chamber and parallel to the surface withthe dispensing and finger slots, towards the dispensing slot when theflat and flexible item is moved in a direction parallel to thelongitudinal axis of the finger slot.

The invention thus provides a dispenser for dispensing flat flexibleitems, comprising:

-   -   (a) a planar top surface having a forward edge, a rear edge, a        first lateral edge, and a second lateral edge,    -   (b) a planar bottom surface having a forward edge, a rear edge,        a first lateral edge and a second lateral edge;    -   (c) a first lateral surface having top edge coinciding with the        first lateral edge of the top surface and a bottom edge        coinciding with the first lateral edge of the bottom surface;    -   (d) a second lateral surface having top edge coinciding with the        second lateral edge of the top surface and a bottom edge        coinciding with the second lateral edge of the bottom surface;    -   (e) a forward surface having a top edge and having a bottom edge        coinciding with the forward edge of the bottom surface.    -   (f) a rear surface having a top edge coinciding with the rear        edge of the top surface and having a bottom edge coinciding with        the rear edge of the bottom surface.    -   (g) a dispensing slot located in the top surface adjacent to the        forward end of the top surface and extending from the first        lateral edge of the top surface to the second lateral edge of        the top surface;    -   (h) a finger slot located in the upper surface and separated        from the dispensing slot;    -   (i) a ramp located in the interior chamber having a top edge        coinciding with the top edge of the forward surface and having a        second edge attached to the bottom planar surface, the bottom        edge of the ramp being spaced apart from the bottom edge of the        forward surface and space apart from the bottom edge of the rear        surface.

In the dispenser of the invention, the ramp may contact the secondplanar surface at a dihedral angle of about 45°. The rear surface of thedispenser may be hinged to the bottom surface or the top surface. Theupper surface may be reinforced between the dispensing slot and thefinger slot. The dispenser may be prepared from a precut blank cut froma pliable sheet material.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In order to understand the invention and to see how it may be carriedout in practice, a preferred embodiment will now be described, by way ofnon-limiting example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings,in which:

FIG. 1 shows a dispenser for flat flexible items in accordance with oneembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 shows the dispenser of FIG. 1 in an open configuration forloading flat flexible items inside the dispenser;

FIG. 3 shows dispensing of a flat flexible item from the dispenser ofFIG. 1 and;

FIG. 4 shows a blank cut from a pliable sheet material that can befolded to form the dispenser of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 shows a dispenser 1 for dispensing flat flexible items such asindividually wrapped condoms or tea bags, and sachets of liquid soap orsoup powder, in accordance with one embodiment of the invention. Thedispenser 1 has a first planar surface 2 (referred to herein as “the topsurface”), and a second planar surface 3 (referred to herein as “thebottom surface”). The top and bottom surfaces 2 and 3 are parallel toeach other and are separated from each other by a first lateral surface5 (referred to herein as “the front surface”), a second lateral surface7 (referred to herein as “the back surface”) and two additional surfaces4 and 6 (referred to herein as “the end surfaces”). The terms “topsurface”, “bottom surface”, “front surface” and “back surface” are usedherein for clarity of the description, and do not imply that thedispenser 1 is held in any particular orientation when used. The planarsurfaces 2 to 7 enclose an interior chamber 8. The interior chamber 8 isdimensioned to receive one or more flat flexible items to be dispensedby the dispenser 1, as explained below.

The top surface 2 is provided with a dispensing slot 9 through which anitem stored in the interior chamber 8 leaves the interior chamber 8 whenbeing dispensed, as described below. The dispensing slot 9 is located inthe upper surface 2 adjacent to the lateral side 6. The dispensing slot9 extends from the lateral surface 7 to the lateral surface 5 and has awidth indicated by the arrow 10 that is slightly larger than thethickness of the item to be stored in the interior chamber and dispensedthrough the dispensing slot 9. The length of the dispensing slot thusextends from the lateral surface 5 to the lateral surface 7.

The top surface is also provided with a finger slot 11. The finger slot11 is an elongated opening having longitudinal axis indicated by thearrow 12 that is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of thedispensing slot 9 indicated by the arrow 13. The finger slot 11 extendsalmost the entire length from the dispensing slot 9 to the lateral side4. The finger slot 11 has a width (measured in a direction perpendicularto the longitudinal axis 12) to allow a user to insert a finger throughthe finger slot 12 when dispensing an item through the dispensing slot9, as described below.

The dispenser 1 is also provided with a ramp 13. The ramp 13 is locatedinside the interior chamber 8 and extends between the front and backsurfaces 5 and 7 and is perpendicular to the front and back surfaces 5and 7. The ramp 13 contacts the bottom surface 3 at a dihedral angle α.In a presently preferred embodiment, the ramp 13 contacts the bottomsurface 3 at a dihedral angle of about 45°. The ramp 13 has an edge 14in common with an edge of the end surface 6. The edge 14 is also an edgeof the dispensing slot 9.

The end surface 4 is hinged to the bottom surface 3 and is notpermanently attached to the front and back surfaces 5 and 7 or to thetop surface 2. This allows the lateral side 4 to be opened, as shown inFIG. 2 a, so as to allow one or more flat flexible items to be insertedinto the interior chamber 8. FIG. 2 b shows the dispenser after flatflexible items 15 has been placed in the interior chamber 8 and thelateral end 4 has been closed. The items 15 are arranged in a stackwherein each item 15 is parallel to the top and bottom surfaces 2 and 3.A tab 16 attached to the end surface remains closed as shown in FIG. 2b.

FIG. 3 shows dispensing of an item 15 from the dispenser 1. In FIG. 3 aan individual wishing to dispense an item 15 from the dispenser 1,inserts a finger 20 through the finger slot 11, at an end of thedispensing slot 11 that is proximal to the end surface 4 and hencedistal from the dispensing slot 9. The tip of the individual's finger 20contacts the uppermost item 15 a in the stack of items in the interiorchamber 8. The individual then urges with the finger 20 the item 15 a tomove in the interior chamber towards the ramp 13. When the leading edge21 of the flat flexible item 15 a contacts the ramp 13, the ramp 13causes the leading edge 21 of the item 15 a to deflect towards thedispensing slot 9 due to the flexibility of the item 15 a, so as todirect the leading edge 21 towards the dispensing slot 9 as shown inFIG. 3 b. As the individual continues to urge the item 15 a towards theramp 13, the item 15 a progressively protrudes through the dispensingslot 9, until the individual's finger has reached an end of the fingerslot adjacent to the dispensing slot 13, as shown in FIG. 3 c. The item15 a can then be grasped by the individual and removed from thedispenser 1.

The dispenser 1 may be prepared by folding a precut blank from a pliablesheet material such as cardboard, metal or plastic. FIG. 4 shows a blank30 that may be used to form the dispenser 1, in accordance with oneembodiment. After cutting the sheet material 30 along the contours ofthe blank 30, the blank 30 is cut along the line segments AB and CD. Theproduces a flap 32 that may be folded under the upper surface 2 andglued to the interior side of the upper surface 2 in order to reinforcethe upper surface 2 between the finger slot 11 and the dispensing slot9. The blank 30 is then folded along the fold lines 34, 36, and 38 and atab 40 is glued to the interior side of the bottom panel 3 so as tostabilize the ramp 13 in the desired orientation. The blank 30 is thenfolded along the fold lines 42, 44, 46, and 48 and a tab 50 is glued tothe interior surface of the lateral panel 7 to close the blank 30 into atube. After loading the items 15 to be dispensed in the interior 4 ofthe dispenser 1, tabs 52 and 54 are folded inwards, and the dispenserclosed by the cover 4 and the tab 16.

The finger slot 11 may be cut out at any time, either before the blankis folded into the dispenser, or afterwards. In one embodiment,perforations are provided in the upper surface 2 along the contour ofthe finger slot 11, so that the finger slot 11 may be torn open by auser just prior to first use of the dispenser 1 to dispense an item 15.

1. A dispenser for dispensing flat flexible items, comprising: (a) aplanar top surface having a forward edge, a rear edge, a first lateraledge, and a second lateral edge; (b) a planar bottom surface having aforward edge, a rear edge, a first lateral edge and a second lateraledge; (c) a first lateral surface having top edge coinciding with thefirst lateral edge of the top surface and a bottom edge coinciding withthe first lateral edge of the bottom surface; (d) a second lateralsurface having top edge coinciding with the second lateral edge of thetop surface and a bottom edge coinciding with the second lateral edge ofthe bottom surface; (e) a forward surface having a top edge and having abottom edge coinciding with the forward edge of the bottom surface; (f)a rear surface having a top edge coinciding with the rear edge of thetop surface and having a bottom edge coinciding with the rear edge ofthe bottom surface; (g) a dispensing slot located in the top surfaceadjacent to the forward end of the top surface and extending from thefirst lateral edge of the top surface to the second lateral edge of thetop surface; (h) a finger slot located in the upper surface andseparated from the dispensing slot; and (i) a ramp located in theinterior chamber having a top edge coinciding with the top edge of theforward surface and having a second edge attached to the bottom planarsurface, the bottom edge of the ramp being spaced apart from the bottomedge of the forward surface and spaced apart from the bottom edge of therear surface.
 2. The dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the rampcontacts the second planar surface at a dihedral angle of about 45°. 3.The dispenser according to claim 1, wherein the rear surface is hingedto the bottom surface or the top surface.
 4. The dispenser according toclaim 1, wherein the upper surface is reinforced between the dispensingslot and the finger slot.
 5. The dispenser according to claim 1,prepared from a precut blank cut from a pliable sheet material.